Improve, Increase or Enhance?

Improve, Increase or Enhance¹?

Today on Ask a Teacher, we answer an email from a reader.

Mieshui asks:

Question: Recently, I met three words that confused me: "enhance," "improve" and "increase." I hope you can help me, thank you.

Answer: Hi, Meishui! I can help. These three verbs all have similar meanings, but there are some differences in their use.

Enhance

Let’s start with “enhance.”

Of the three words we are studying today, “enhance” is the least common. You can probably use “improve” instead of “enhance” in many sentences you want to say or write.

“Enhance” means to raise the quality of something, usually of something that is already good. In these next sentences, I will explain what is happening.

Students use reading strategies² to enhance understanding. (They already understand but now they will understand more.)

Adding a little lemon juice enhances³ the flavor⁴ of the rice. (The rice tastes good but now it will taste great.)

Improve

The verb “improve” means to make (something) better or to become better. This can be something that is not so good to begin with. The meaning often includes the idea of adding to something. For example, mobile⁵ phone batteries do not often stay charged for a whole day. A new way to make batteries could let you use your phone all day without charging it.

The new battery designs improve their performance. (Before the batteries did not last long enough, but the new ones are better.)

Or think of a person with little education. She may return to school.

Hilda took a night class to improve her chances of getting a good job.(Hilda cannot get a good job now, but maybe she will after taking the class.)

Increase

“Increase” is a little different from the other two. It means to become or to make something larger or greater in size, amount or number. When you increase something, you can probably say a larger number to tell about the change.

Online teachers are trying to increase their earnings⁶. (They will get 30 percent more money by teaching⁷ online.)

The shoe company moved to a bigger space to increase production. (The company will make 1,000 more shoes a day.)

Our town leaders want to increase the number of homeowners. (There will be 10 percent more homeowners in the town.)

Again:

Use “enhance” to talk about making a good thing even better.

Use “improve” to talk about making a thing better that is not so good now.

Use “increase” when you want to talk about larger numbers or amounts.

And that’s Ask a Teacher!

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

confuse – v. to make (something) difficult to understand

strategies – n. steps taken by students to enhance their own learning⁸.

flavor – n. a substance that is added to food or drink to give it a desired taste

mobile phone – n. a wireless phone

1 enhance   

vt.提高（强度、力量、数量等），增加（进）

参考例句：

• BBC backing for the scheme will enhance its credibility.英国广播公司对这一计划的支持将提高其可信度。
• Good secretarial skills should enhance your chances of getting a job.出色的秘书工作技能会增加你找工作的机会。

2 strategies   

n.策略( strategy的名词复数 )；战略；战略学；对策

参考例句：

• Several steps and strategies have been developed to minimize these risks. 有关人士发展了若干措施和方法以减少这些风险。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Different threats require different strategies. 对付不同的威胁需要不同的策略。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

3 enhances   

v.提高( enhance的第三人称单数 )；增进；用计算机增强（照片等）；提高…的价值（或价格）；使变青白，使变苍白( etiolate的过去式和过去分词 )；增进；用计算机增强（照片等）；提高…的价值（或价格）

参考例句：

• The growth of a city often enhances the value of land close to it. 城市的发展常常会提高其附近的地价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We chose alliteration on the theory a little vulgarity enhances memory. 在理论上我们选择有点儿粗俗的头韵来帮助记忆。 来自辞典例句

4 flavor   

n.味，滋味，味道；风味；vt.调味，加味于

参考例句：

• I like the flavor of chocolate.我喜欢巧克力的味道。
• Each flavor was totally unique.每一种味道都是独一无二的。

5 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

6 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

7 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。